


Lies...

by 0Some_Mistakes_Get_Made0



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I swear I didn't want to hurt him, Panic Attacks, The Author Regrets Everything, The main except for Varian are cruel :c
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24216211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Some_Mistakes_Get_Made0/pseuds/0Some_Mistakes_Get_Made0
Summary: Varian finds out his friends don't necessarily have the heart to forgive him...
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Lance Strongbow, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Hugo & Varian (Disney: Varian and the Seven Kingdoms), Quirin & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 84
Kudos: 158





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, btw, Cass is here even though she was supposed to be off having her own angsty ordeal  
> That was my bad  
> The original is still up because I don't think I can delete chapters  
> I decided to make this a full-fledged thing!

“What the-“

That squirrel was back! It held Varian’s newest project’s blueprints in his mouth. Dangit, that was a gift for Rapunzel! It stared at Varian with big round eyes. Varian lunged for the prints, but it ran out the lab’s door.

“HEY!”

Varian called and ran after it. The squirrel seemed to pause every time Varian couldn’t keep up like it was waiting for him to follow it. They ran a good half-mile, leaving Varian winded as all heck. He hadn’t exercised much while he was overthrowing Corona.

Varian stopped before the squirrel ran up a tree. He groaned, but he noticed it dropped the blueprints in front of the tree. Varian huffed and snatched up the blueprints indignantly. Before he went back home, he heard a voice say his name.

“Varian-“

He turned around to find Rapunzel, Cass, Eugene, and Lance all talking. About him? Curious, he hid behind a bush and eavesdropped.

“I don’t know,” Lance (assumingly) said. “Lying to Varian? This feels cruel.”

Varian lost his breath. WHAT?

“What other choice do we have?” Cassie- Cass interjected. “He’s clearly unstable! He’s tried to kill me, Raps, and the Queen just last year, Lance. Last month, he had the kingdom in his clutches. Just because he got his dad back, it doesn’t mean he won’t pull stunts like that again.”

Varian looked down, a hand clasped over his mouth. He didn’t like this topic anymore.

“I’m with Cass and Blondie on this. Varian’s a good kid, or at least he tries to be, but he’s... unpredictable.” He meant dangerous, didn’t he. “The slightest thing might send him back to the Saporians or just betraying us himself. He tore his own village to shreds! Not a smart idea to trust him.”

Varian trembled. So much for Team Awesome. So much for his so-called friends. Of course, he’s been alone his entire life, why-

“Yeah...”

Varian froze at Rapunzel’s voice. No...

His grip began to tighten around the blueprint plans.

“While I do believe everyone can change, Varian can’t be easily forgiven. He put my entire kingdom in danger. Forced them to work in mines. My parents’ memories are gone because of him. I guess we got even for that.”

There was an edge to her voice. A cold, uncaring edge. It was unnerving. Varian hugged his arms, his feet stuck to the ground. The signs were there. He should’ve known they wouldn’t trust him, the forced smiles, the annoyed eye rolls. They were just like everyone else.

“Besides, he’s valuable! In the sense that we’ve already gotten, like, 3 inventions out of him.” Cassandra joked. Varian bit back a growl.

“Cass!”

“Oh, come on, we used his smarts to our advantage, big whoop.” Cass paused. “Actually, when you put it like that it does sound bad-“

Eugene scoffed and sighed. “Well, the kid’s got what he wanted. Let’s see how it plays out.”

Varian could hear them leave, and he hesitated, trying to take in all the information he just heard. His eyes filled with tears, and he dashed home as fast as he could.

Why did he think they would trust him?! Why did he think that MAYBE he was worth something? He didn’t deserve their forgiveness in the first place, did he? Of course, he didn’t. Why was any of this happening to him? WHY?!

He shoved open the door, wiping his eyes and sniffling. Quirin noticed his son’s distress and asked, “Varian, what happened-“

He held back a sob and interrupted, “I’M FiNE.”

Ruddiger followed him, and he burst into the lab, slamming the door. He let out a shaky breath and rapidly ripped the blueprint to shreds. Stupid, stupid, stupid-

He burst into tears and buried his head in his hands.

<•>

A month had passed since that breakdown. He couldn’t take it anymore. A month of pretending he hadn’t heard what they said, of tight smiles, of knowing they hated him, but saying nothing. HE WAS DONE. He waited for Raps to leave before grabbing a pen and paper. His goodbye to their ‘friendship.’ His goodbye to Corona.

“Rapunzel,

I know you hate me. You’ve pretended for the past month, and so have I. But I can’t take this anymore. I know all of you don’t trust me; I know you’ve all been using me.

And I have had it.

You’ve thrown kind word after kind word at me, told me lies, and I wanted to believe them so badly. SO BADLY, because I had faith that you of all people would trust me.

But I heard what you said last month, and I heard what you said last week.

I’m sorry I’m ‘unpredictable,’ Eugene.

I’m sorry for the ‘stunts’ I pull, Cassie.

Your smiles are toxic and laced with dishonesty. And I’d beg of you all to stop, but I don’t need to. Because I’m leaving.

Leaving so you all don’t have to worry about me. I don’t expect you to look for me, but I won’t be in Old Corona. You’re not the only ones lying to me.

Rapunzel, I’m sorry for what I did. Now you won’t have to care. I’ve tried my best to reverse the Saporian memory wand’s effects, but they haven’t worked. The alchemy ball next to this paper shall be my last attempt. Use it, I don’t care.

I know none of you will miss me.

Bye.

Sincerely,

Varian Ruddiger.”

He slammed down the mentioned ball of alchemy and grabbed his bag. He ran out the door, Ruddiger tailing behind him.

“This is our farewell, buddy. I hope you’ve said goodbye to any raccoon friends you have,” he joked, tears in his eyes.

He arrived home and left a similar note on his house’s mantle. He looked at his father, sound asleep in his chair. Another person who wouldn’t miss him.

Varian laid a blanket over his father and hugged him. He then left, headed for the Corona wall.

<•>

Rapunzel stared at the note in her hands, Eugene and Cass behind her. The older two exchanged a glance while Rapunzel didn’t move.

“Varian’s gone.”

Eugene nodded. “He certainly hit the nail on the head with those quotes.”

“...Do you think he’s playing us?”

“I don’t think he’s lying. But maybe we should go check with Quirin.”

“He might be in on it.”

“Oh come on, Quirin doesn’t seem like the type to scheme.”

Cass shrugged. “Maybe.”

A moment passed, and they noticed Rapunzel’s silence. Her hair was in her face, but you could tell she looked lost.

“Well...” She stood up, note in hand and alchemy ball in the other. “He made his choice, didn’t he?”


	2. Lies - Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out on his own, Varian tries to adjust

Varian stared up at the wall. The hole the rocks made had been patched up, but they hadn’t done a good job. Perfect for climbing. A pit in his stomach formed. He was leaving Corona, the only home he’s ever known. Not that it was home anymore; still, he had no idea what was beyond that wall. But it was better than being stuck here.

Ruddiger chattered as if to ask, “Are you sure?”

Varian responded, “There’s no turning back, Ruddiger.”

He began to scale the wall, the sick feeling in his stomach growing. The rough edges hurt his hands, but he didn’t want to stay here any longer. He reached the top and looked out over the horizon of Corona. He gripped the strap of his bag and trembled. No one would miss him. No one. Not even his dad.

He hugged his arms and bit back a sob. Everyone in that stupid kingdom treated him like dirt for 2 months- heck, way longer than that, and the FEW people he thought he could trust- Ruddiger nuzzled him in an attempt to comfort him. Varian snapped out of his thoughts and sighed. He smiled weakly and said, “Sorry, buddy.”

He looked over the edge, Ruddiger recoiling on his shoulder.

“Aw, come on, buddy, it’s not that high...”

He pulled out a rope and began to climb down the side. Took a few minutes, and he jumped down, not realizing how high he was. Instead of landing on his feet, he landed on his arm, sending a surge of pain. He groaned.

That wasn’t going away any time soon. Looking up, he spotted Ruddiger a few feet away, who looked very peeved. “Agh, sorry, Ruddiger...”

Ruddiger dragged over Varian’s bag, which had also fallen out of Varian’s grasp. Varian slipped on the bag, wincing, and picked up his pet.

Although it was sunset, the looming shadow of the wall cast a darkness that made it look nighttime. He gulped and pressed on.

Beginning to explore the forest, everything looked pretty. The water was sparkling, the trees radiated an aura that looked like they were made for climbing; he missed this feeling of just being by himself except for Ruddiger and the ‘open world.’ (Again, he’s never been outside Corona walls.)

He remembered two years ago when he’d recently adopted Ruddiger as a pet, they’d explore the Corona forests together. It was mainly to collect materials for his experiments, but they enjoyed it. It was one of the only good memories he had at 14. He kinda forgot the rest. (Or they’d been stained with bad connotations...)

He pursed his lips, not wanting to think about the mess that was 2 years ago. He stared into a pond of water and examined himself. How long had those eyebags been there? Probably ever since he started crying himself to sleep.

Ignoring the fact that crying himself to sleep on a regular basis wasn’t healthy, he glanced at the sky. He should probably find shelter or something before night hit him. Oh God, he had no plan of where he was going. His breathing became rapid; was this a bad idea?

Before he could get out another worrying thought, he spotted something moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked up, and his eyes widened in outrage. That squirrel! He hadn’t seen him in over a month.

Varian huffed and slouched. The squirrel stared up at him, ears twitching.

“What are you gonna do? Steal from me again?”

The squirrel seemed offended, as much as a squirrel could be, and hit Varian with water.

“Hey!”

Varian narrowed his eyes in anger, but the squirrel grinned as if it was delighted with itself.

Varian groaned and glared at the creature. He couldn’t help but blame the squirrel just a little for getting him into this mess. But hey, it wasn’t the squirrel’s fault his ‘friends’ hated him...

He stood up and dusted himself off. “I’m gonna go find a place to set up a tent...”

He pointed a finger at the squirrel. “Don’t follow me.”

Like the nuisance it was, the squirrel followed him. Dumb, nuisance squirrel.

Ruddiger seemed as annoyed as Varian with the squirrel but just stewed in anger on Varian’s shoulder. Varian set up the tent under a set of trees as best he could; he kind of... Forgot how to do that too. He didn’t think it’d be a useful thing to remember, alright?

The squirrel soon left, and Varian sighed. He crawled under in and put down a sleeping mat. Ruddiger laid outside as a sort of guard dog. (Guard raccoon?)

Varian winced and tried to lay down without moving his arm much. He stared at the roof of the tent quietly. He had little money, his only protection was Ruddiger (no offense to him,) he only had some fruits and vegetables to keep him from starvation, and no one was coming to get him. His dad wasn’t calling from the front door like when he was little and tried to run away. His eyes welled up with tears. Everything was peachy.  
He turned on his side, (the one without the hurt arm,) and tried to get some rest.

<•>

Varian shot up in the middle of the night, looking around. He crawled out of the tent and stared into the night. He heard something.

Sure, it was the forest; he was BOUND to hear something, but this sounded like a voice.

He grabbed his bag, planning to use it as a weapon. (It was fairly heavy.)

Some part of his head wished it was his ‘friends,’ coming to tell him that everything was a dream, and everything would be OK. But the realistic part knew that wasn’t happening anytime soon, and he should be fine with that. He LEFT them for a reason...

He hid behind a tree and listened for the voice.

“Alright, the ... should be around here.”

Not thinking, he swung the bag as hard he could, and he heard a shriek. He brushed a strand of hair out of his face, gulping. Oh gosh, did he kill him?! He heard the guy still breathing and looked at him.

He sighed in relief and dragged the guy into the moonlight.

“Ew,” he whispered.

<•>

Rapunzel paced around the castle, mumbling. The potion Varian gave her parents hadn’t kicked in, and she was worried Varian played her. She kept mumbling to herself until Eugene opened the door to her room. “Are they OK?!”

Eugene sighed and leaned against the frame.

“Well, Blondie, they’re getting there. I don’t think Varian’s potion had any negative effects on them, which is nice to know.”

Lance followed up, “I can’t believe y’all just LET him leave. He’s still a kid who has, what, 0% experience outside Corona? I get he’s not wanted around here, but-“

Rapunzel sighed and sat down. “Lance, it’s not as simple as that. He made his choice. By the time, we read the note, he was gone. We have no idea where he went afterward.” (It was as simple as that.)

Lance began to say something, but he knew nothing about this kid. The only ones who had a connection with him were Eugene, Cass, and Rapunzel, so what did he have to say on the matter?

Lance shrugged and said, “Maybe it’s as simple as that, but hey, what do I know?”

He left to go get breakfast, and Eugene and Raps exchanged worried glances. They couldn’t exactly send a search party over a kid who didn’t want to be found. (Yes, they could.) Quirin seemed to be doing fine after his son’s disappearance; (he wasn’t.)

No one seemed to want him back; to be honest, they didn’t want him back either...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGH


	3. Lies - Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quirin is left with the goodbye note of his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUIRIN MAKES ME WANNA CRY  
> WHY DO I DO THIS

_[Midnight of Runaway] _  
Quirin stared at the letter in his hands, at a loss. He nervously sat down and read his son’s goodbye. Thunder and rain roared outside, but Quirin tuned it out. He had no idea how many hours ago his son had left. How long had the letter been there?__

He thought Varian had been with the princess and her friends; he thought they were friends. Did Varian leave when he was asleep?

He should’ve done something about the villagers; he should’ve done something more about Varian instead of letting this happen. He held his head in his hands remorsefully.

Last month, when Varian came home sobbing, Quirin tried his best to console him. But a hug wouldn’t do. He should’ve asked what happened. He should’ve known better.

Varian thinks he’s dead for a year, and the moment he’s freed, he goes back to giving Varian the cold shoulder. (Yes, I know that’s not what happened, but the man is in shock...) Quirin remembered last month how much seeing Varian cry hurt...

Quirin spent forever treating his son like an embarrassment; Varian’s letter was right. Looking at the letter one last time, he tensed and folded it up, putting it in his pocket.

He let out a shaky sigh and got up. He trudged up the stairs to his son’s room with a heavy heart to find it completely the same except for some missing blankets on his bed. He noticed a portrait of Varian and him when Varian was five was missing and tiredly smiled. Varian must’ve taken it...

He leaned against the doorframe, trying to figure out what to do.

Go after Varian? Stay? Old Corona did fine with him gone. He thought for a bit and came to a conclusion. He began packing a bag before hearing a huge clap of thunder. He tensed and sighed. It would be unwise to go out in this heavy weather. He could only hope Varian found shelter, or wherever he was, the storm hadn’t hit him.

He stared out the window, as another clap of thunder boomed. When Varian was little, he refused to do any experiments while rainstorms went on; they terrified him. He’d hide under his covers stubbornly and wait for it to end. He remembered how fake-angry it made him until the next crack of thunder hit. To distract Varian from the huge storm outside, Quirin and Varian would talk about anything they could. He recalled a conversation the two had when a storm as big as this one hit.

_“Daddy, why does it need to rain?”  
“To help the grass grow, Varian.”  
“But why does it have to be so loud?”  
“The rain isn’t loud; the thunder is.”  
“Well, why’s the thunder loud, Daddy? I don’t like it.”  
“Because it’s closer to you.”  
Varian’s little face went cold. Quirin realized how scary that sounded and tried to correct himself.  
“It won’t touch us, son, as long as you don’t go too close to it, like your mother.”  
Varian tilted his head, and Quirin told his son the story of how Varian’s mother, Ulla, tried to catch lightning to experiment on it. She survived but got electrocuted and didn’t catch the lightning.  
Varian wrinkled his nose. “That wasn’t very smart of Mommy.”  
Quirin laughed and smiled. “No, it wasn’t. But your mother didn’t care; she did what she want.”  
Varian smiled, but the rain got louder, and he pouted. “I still don’t like it-“ Another sound of thunder boomed outside, and Varian jumped, clinging to his father’s sleeve._

__Present-day Quirin chuckled sadly and closed the windows. Varian grew out of that soon enough, but he cherished memories like those. Memories with his son that were just quiet and calm, like when he would read to Varian the Tales of Flynnigan Rider until Varian could read himself. He tiredly went back to packing a bag, and he hung it up on a coat rack, planning to leave in the morning. The rain pattered outside, and Quirin poured himself a cup of hot cocoa. He sipped it tiredly._ _

____

____

____

____

__< •>_ _

__[Two Days After Runaway] _Rapunzel sighed, slumped against her bed. Eugene went and sat beside her, moving a piece of hair out of her face._ _ _

__

__

__“Hey, sunshine...”_ _

__Rapunzel turned her head to the side, and Eugene frowned sadly. “Blondie..”_ _

__“The potion didn’t work,” she sighed._ _

__“Well, we’ll try again.”_ _

__“Eugene, we’ve tried everything...”_ _

__“No, no, we haven’t.”_ _

__Rapunzel and Eugene looked up to find Cassandra flipping through a book. “Xavier said there was a way to reverse the spell; it was a Saporian spell, wasn’t it? There’s an entire section on Saporian antidotes in this book!”_ _

__She paced around the room before finding the page and giving it to Rapunzel. “Cass...” Rapunzel trailed off and read the page._ _

__“Cass, some of these ingredients are MILES out of Corona.”_ _

__“We CAME from miles out of Corona, didn’t we? And besides, if it saves the Royal family, it’s worth it.”_ _

__Rapunzel looked worriedly between Eugene and Cassandra. “Cass, are you really sure? You’ll be all on your own-”_ _

__Cass laid a hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder. “Raps, trust me.”_ _

__“What if you run into Varian?”_ _

__“If he tries and pulls anything funny, I’ll just use these.”_ _

__She pulled out a few alchemy vials and grinned. “He left these behind when he worked on his last project. I don’t know what they do, but I’m sure they’ll be useful.”_ _

__Rapunzel wavered. Cass would be safe by herself, right? She trained with the Royal Guard since she was 6, but she barely held her fight with Hector before Adira jumped in._ _

__“Raps...”_ _

__Rapunzel sighed and nodded glumly. “I trust you.”_ _

__Eugene joked, “Besides, the castle will be much more cheerful with ol’ CassANdra gone! Maybe even Crowley will lighten up!”_ _

__Cass growled, and Eugene did finger guns. Rapunzel sighed and ignored the joke._ _

__“But I should send someone with you to make sure you’re safe; I’ll send one of the guards.”_ _

__Cass pursed her lips but shrugged. “Fine, that’ll work. Who’re you sending?”_ _

__“I’ll check with the guard to see who’s best.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LORD


	4. Lies - Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian meets a stranger in the woods  
> He's a jerk...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted a nice break from the angst, sorry  
> You won’t see the others for the next few chapters... *cough*

Varian tugged at the guy’s leg, trying to drag him the long way but ALSO trying not to pull

Varian tugged at the guy’s leg, trying to drag him the long way but ALSO trying not to pull this *person* to where his leg popped. Varian brushed his hair out of his own face, trying to find out what to do. Just leave him here? That would probably-

He heard the guy groan and jumped. *He was awake!* He was about to turn and run, but the blond spotted him.

“Hey!”

Varian nervously stood there. He was going to die; he was GOING TO DIE- He watched as the blond shakily got up, and Varian gripped his bag and hard as he could. He would not hesitate to hit this guy in the head again. (OK, maybe he would hesitate a little.)

He placed a hand over the bump where Varian hit him over the head and winced. “OW! You...”

He looked between Varian and the bag and dramatically gasped, his nose scrunched up.

“YOU! *YOU* HIT ME OVER THE HEAD?! What is wrong with you?!”

Varian took a slightly defensive stance in case this guy wanted to pull anything and said, “Excuse me, you’re the idiot lurking around in the middle of the night!”

“Really? What are *you* doing out here?”

Varian hesitated and bit his lip. Couldn’t give that a straight answer. He shrugged and casually fiddled with his bag. “Just out here... Camping.”

Before a word could come out of the blond, Varian asked, “What are *YOU* doing out here?”

Hugo blinked and tried to brush off that question with his own lie, which Varian saw right through but didn’t comment.

“What’s your name anyway?”

The blond seemed to have thought about his own name before answering, “Viper.”

Varian’s nose wrinkled. Of all the names- Considering this idiot had to think up a lie, Varian held out a hand and combatted with his own lie, “Cassius.”

Hugo paused and scowled. “I’m sorry... *CASSIUS*? There’s no way in-“

“Please. You literally tried to call yourself, ‘Viper.’ Please don’t pretend ‘Cassius’ is worse than ‘*Viper*.’ You want a legitimate name from me, I expect you to do the same.”

The stranger tensed as if contemplating his choices, and gave in. “Fine, real names. That means you too.”

Varian wouldn’t want to trust anyone at the moment, not even with his name, but he was getting tired and just wanted to go back to sleep while trusting this stranger wasn’t out for blood.

Varian held out his hand again. “Alright..”

The stranger shook it. “Hugo.”

“Varian.”

The shorter retracted his hand and yawned. “OK, I should get back to my-“

Thunder sounded somewhere close by, and Varian groaned, rubbing his face. With the way his day was going, that rain was definitely headed his way. Hugo looked between the miserable boy and the storm, unsure of what to do. “There’s an inn a few miles down, you should probably head there.”

Varian slipped his bag onto his good arm and muttered, “I’ll go get my stuff.”

Hugo looked back up at the storm. “That’s probably gonna catch me too, so I’m gonna head to the inn with you.”

<•>

Did Hugo plan on paying for the inn? No, of course, he didn’t. Did he plan on pinning the money on this Varian kid? Maybe.

The raccoon on Varian’s shoulder glared at Hugo like it knew his plan. He wasn’t weirded out by the fact that Varian had a raccoon, he had a pet himself named...

Hugo stopped in his tracks and looked around frantically. Varian halted and turned around.

“Hold on; hold on- Where is he?”

Varian looked around and furrowed his brow. He asked, “What?”

“My mouse- My pet mouse, Cheese!”

Varian’s eyes widened.

“He must’ve fallen out of my pocket when SOMEONE knocked me out.”

Varian’s nose wrinkled, and Hugo turned on his heel, running. “I’m gonna go find him!”

Varian yelled after Hugo to slow down and chased after him. The blond skidded to a halt and immediately began to rush around.

Hugo looked around the forest, and Varian did the same. Varian heard a faint whirring noise and followed it. The noise traced to a single bush; Varian moved the branches and found a mouse. Or at least the vague silhouette of a mouse.

Hugo’s mouse?

“HUGO! I found your mouse!”

Hugo rushed over, and- Was that a smile? Varian couldn’t see under all these trees, but he was pretty sure that was a smile... Hugo picked up the tiny creature, and Varian finally got a look at it. Varian was utterly astonished by the fact it was MECHANICAL.

Within the few seconds Varian saw it, it appeared to be fully sentient, and it has little whiskers, a metallic tail, and ears too big for its head. It whirred, and you could hear the faint sound of gears turning within it. It looked utterly bewildered and kind of scared, and Hugo gave it a few pats on the head to comfort it.

Hugo slipped the little guy back into his shirt pocket, and Varian stared at him in awe. “You built that?”

Hugo cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, kind of- sorta- I mean-“

More thunder went off, louder this time, and Hugo pointed skyward, trying to change the subject. (In the least smooth way possible.) “We should go! Rain!”

He started to run away, and Varian groaned, running after him again. “YOU’RE GOING TO EXPLAIN TO ME HOW YOU BUILT THAT!” Ruddiger clearly did not think like that idea.

Hugo called back. “YEAH, SURE, WHATEVER! Hurry before the rain catches up!”

<•>

The rain caught up.

The inn clerk clearly didn’t expect to see two soaked teenagers burst down her door at 1:00 AM with a storm raging outside deliriously laughing, but she didn’t judge. Hugo muttered to himself and grabbed a handkerchief, (dry,) to make sure the water didn’t seep into Cheese’s gears in the back. Varian nervously asked, “How much for one night?”

“40 silva’,” said the woman. “It’ll be 80 if you’re paying him as well.”

Varian was taken aback and double-checked nervously, “F-Forty? Well, ma’am-“

Varian certainly did not have 40 silver coins. He tried to bargain with the lady, but she didn’t budge.

Hugo noticed and bit his cheek. He could *totally* leave this guy he met who clubbed him to flounder over there and just pretend he only had enough for himself but-

He looked outside at the rain and back at the lady. She didn’t look like the type to care whether or not you had the money and... He looked outside one more time as if weighing the options for the THIRD time today and groaned. He hated doing the right thing.

He took out a tiny bag of coins and dropped on the desk. “Oh, whaddya know, this should be enough to cover the two of us.”

The clerk glared and counted the pieces. Varian breathed a sigh of relief, and the clerk begrudgingly nodded. She handed them a key. “All rooms are full; you’ll have to board together.”

Varian and Hugo glared at each other but took the key. Varian picked up Ruddiger, and they headed up to their room angrily. Varian unlocked the door and placed Ruddiger down. Hugo did the same with Cheese.

Varian tried to twist out all the rain in his hair, and Hugo sat down on a chair.

“So, what were you actually doing outside by yourself?” Hugo asked. “No one camps by themselves while barely knowing how to set up a tent- HEY!”

Varian flicked spare rainwater at him. “Shut up.”

Hugo growled and waved his hand bitterly. “Fine. I’m gonna go dry off...”

He stomped off to the restroom, and Varian huffed. He couldn’t wait to never see this jerk again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew...


	5. Lies - Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Hugo guy won't stop talking Varian's ear off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Varian’s too tired to deal with Hugo

Hugo pushed open the door to see Varian glaring at him. Varian had changed into a new set of clothes, but Hugo, unfortunately, did not have a spare set, so he got stuck with drying manually, leaving his clothes rather wrinkly.

He laid down on the room’s second bed and huffed. He looked at Varian and scowled. Varian looked back at him and groaned.

“Ugh, how long do you think this rain’s gonna last? The faster I can get away from you, the better.”

Hugo scoffed.

“I could say the same... I don’t wanna room with the guy who SLAMMED MY HEAD IN WITH A BAG!”

Varian sighed exasperatedly before defending himself for the second time. “The middle of the night in the woods is VERY tense. Someone shouldn’t be talking to himself in the middle OF the woods where strangers can come up and hit them with bags.”

Hugo narrowed his eyes at Varian, and Varian stuck his tongue out childishly. He just walked 2 and a half miles at 1 in the morning with a huge storm outside and this moron. Let’s just say he’s a little cranky.

“Still, a sorry would be nice for my troubles!”

Varian sighed and shrugged. “Alright... I’m sorry.”

He could’ve been a little more polite about it but, again, cranky. Besides, he already hated Hugo enough, forcing himself to be polite would make his contempt worse.

Hugo folded his arms and rolled his eyes dismissively, leaving Varian a little more annoyed.

“Not the best apology, but I’ll take it.”

Varian grumbled, and Hugo waved his hand in the air. “You should be lucky to get my apology! I have half a mind to-“

Varian tensed while Hugo drawled on. He knew those sets of words a little too well, and he was sick of hearing them. (But it was always his fault if he heard them anyway. So why did it matter?)

Hugo noticed Varian’s strained look and paused. He struck a nerve; normally, he would be delighted to know he hurt someone back after they did him in, (such as with a bag or ‘guilting’ him into paying, cough) but this guy... Instead of continuing to scold Varian, he turned his gaze to the window. The rain pattered down hard. Varian’s own gaze followed, along with the pets.

“I’ve haven’t seen rain this bad since I was 5. It’s nice.”

“Where I’m from, it doesn’t rain PERIOD. It’s incredibly dry.” He fake-coughed into his hand and joked, “And so are the people,” before letting out another fake cough.

Varian laughed, and Hugo grinned.

“Co- The people where I’m from, they’re, um, a lively bunch to say the least. Always partying, talking about this, who did that, why, et cetera. Now, the small area where I lived...” He trailed off.

Why was he talking about Corona? At all? He was done with it; he left for a reason! He cut off his last sentence and said, “What kind of dry do you even mean? Like, are they boring or..?”

Hugo chuckled, not turning away from the window. “Oh, don’t get me STARTED. They’re no fun until you do something that makes them mad, then they throw a tantrum.” He caught himself and snapped his fingers. “Hey, that rhymed!”

Varian laughed as Hugo seemed proud of himself. Hugo continued, “The city is so utterly drained and colorless, you’d swear you walked into a black and white painting where someone forgot to fill in the background.”

Varian let out a small laugh and listened to Hugo for the next few minutes. (About 15?) He was probably just exaggerating and making himself look like the victim, but Varian didn’t care all that much. If Hugo kept talking about himself, maybe he could finally get some sleep. (Oof.)

That was something he realized in prison; don’t interrupt the narcissistic idiots talking about great them are unless you want to get slapped. Getting slapped by a guy in a man bun who can’t stop talking about himself isn’t the most dignifying. He didn’t think Hugo would slap him but still. Nor was Hugo a ‘narcissistic idiot.’

A few more minutes passed, and Hugo noticed it was ominously quiet. Varian fell asleep along with the other pets. Hugo huffed, assuming they had fallen asleep because of his ‘boring stories,’ (they had); he grabbed a blanket off the nearby dress and laid it on Varian. Hugo stretched and looked outside. The rain left.

He glanced at Varian and the pets and yawned. OK, maybe he could stay and sleep... Just a...

He collapsed onto the nearby bed and began to snore.

<•>

Varian woke up in the late morning to see Hugo holding a picture frame with Varian’s open bag next to him. “EY!” He shouted.

He jumped up and tripped on the covers he’d accidentally rolled himself, landing with a thud. Hugo let out a laugh, and Varian groaned, slipping out of the blanket, annoyed. He snatched the photo back, and Hugo joked, “Aw, you were adorable. What happened?”

Varian rolled his eyes and looked at the photo in his hands, a slight pang of guilt in his heart. He missed his dad, and he knew he would miss him a lot, but his father would probably be better off without him. He snapped out of his sadness to glare at Hugo.

He pointed the frame’s edge towards Hugo.

“Don’t go through my stuff!”

Hugo let out a fake offended gasp and laid a hand over his heart in shock.

“I would never!”

Varian narrowed his eyes, and Hugo flipped his hair dramatically. “I simply opened the bag and rifled through it!”

Varian trembled. “THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF-“

He let out a sigh, trying to compose himself and clapped his hands.

“OK! What’s the time?”

Varian looked out the door at the clock outside their room. “11:00. Thank Demanitus. I should get going.”

Hugo shrugged and picked up Cheese off the counter, slipping the little mouse into his pocket. Ruddiger hopped onto Varian’s shoulders.

They left and stopped at the inn’s dining room. It wasn’t the classiest thing, but they assumed that’s where the 40 coins went.

They quickly grabbed a bit of food, Varian trying to hide his face as he ordered. Hugo found this a bit odd but thought nothing more of it. They began to head out the door, and Varian had almost successfully gotten out without being noticed.

But the inn clerk glared at them. Hugo knew she was mean from last night but didn’t know why her stare was so intense.

They were a foot out the door when she said, “See you, Varian.”

Hugo glanced between the two, wondering how in the world she knew his name. The younger boy looked petrified, leaving Hugo a bit confused and honestly worried.

They shut the door behind them, and Varian let out a sigh, not looking him in the eye. (Hey, another rhyme!)

“I guess this where we part ways?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA!


	6. Lies - Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo and Varian find a door because of THAT SQUIRREL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sorry about the cliffhanger?  
> ....Shoot, this kinda throws off my flow

Varian tried his best to push Hugo off of him while they walked down the road.

“So, why are you following me?” Varian asked with a growl.

Hugo leaned on the younger boy and said with a catty grin, “Because I got nothin’ better to do than to annoy you. Besides, you can barely set up a TENT, Hair-stripe, wouldn’t be smart to leave you to die.”

Varian finally pushed Hugo off of him, who stumbled away. “I won’t ‘die,’ I’ll be fine...”

He knew he wouldn’t be fine without a little help. But he just got away from an entire kingdom of people who despised him, hypocrites, and liars. He didn’t want to be around any more people right now. This Hugo guy was getting on his nerves, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t want company...

‘But I have Ruddiger!’ He said to himself. Ruddiger was better company than... He glanced at Hugo and clicked his tongue in anger. Almost everything about Hugo made Varian want to punch him in the face, and he had only known him a few hours and 20 minutes, counting the walk. (It was mainly the walk.) For one, at least Ruddiger didn’t go through his stuff-

OK, that was completely wrong, he will admit that. He continued to stew in his anger, no longer glaring at Hugo.

Hugo noticed his silence and looked at him, confused. “Did I do something wrong-“

A rustle heard from a bush, and their attention immediately turned to that.

Hugo reached for his dagger just in case it was anything dangerous, only to find a squirrel.

Hugo’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned back to Varian, who looked like this squirrel had offended him by simply existing.

THAT SQUIRREL!

Varian folded his arm and turned on his heel, pouting. Considering Hair-stripe had reacted in such awe to Cheese, Hugo wondered why he didn’t react in such a way to the squirrel. I mean, even Hugo thought the little guy was cute.

He had a spot on his eye, a circle on his nose, and his ears were two different colors! But nevertheless, Varian remained back turned. Taking a moment, Varian waved his hand. “I was waiting for you, but let’s go,” and began to walk off.

Hugo blinked. “Oh!”

He chased after Varian before-

The squirrel appeared before them. 30 feet away. Hugo confusedly looked behind them and back to the squirrel.

“WHAT- HOW- WHAT-“

Varian was just as confused as him. “But the squirrel-“

They kept mirroring each other’s actions of looking back and forth, until, when both their backs were turned it appeared there too!

“WHAT-“

Hugo nearly fell over. And Varian was trying to process what was going on. The squirrel ran over and tugged at Varian’s laces as if beckoning them to follow. Hugo and Varian shared a glance of worry and unease but decided to let the squirrel lead. The squirrel led them into deeper and deeper the forest, normally the two would’ve turned back by now, but they didn’t want to face the wrath of the teleporting squirrel.

It led them to a wall of vines and stopped. Varian looked at it, confused, and Hugo tore the vines down to find a stone door? Varian glanced back at the door and then the squirrel, but the squirrel just scratched his ear and scampered away.

Varian set down Ruddiger, and Hugo did the same with Cheese. Hugo knocked on the door, and it slid open with such force it shook Varian and Hugo to a point where they fell to the ground. Hugo held his head which slightly bled from hitting the stone wall surrounding the door, and Varian groaned, holding his bad arm which he landed on again. They warily got up, and Varian peeked into the dark abyss of what he could only guess was a stone corridor.

Varian took a broken branch off the ground and wrapped glowing vials around it, an unnerving feeling of deja vu accompanying it. Varian buried the feeling and looked at the pets. “Should we leave them here?”

“Maybe not... I mean, who KNOWS what’s in this forest. Probably weird kids who like to camp out in the middle of the woods and like to hit people.”

“You are not gonna let that go are you?”

“Nope!”

Varian grumbled and picked up Ruddiger who crawled onto his shoulder while Hugo slid Cheese back into his pocket.

They headed into the abyss. Hugo looked around at the walls of this place. It was big, to say the least. He didn’t know how any of this made sense. Then again, he’d just met a teleporting squirrel. The walls were covered in paintings and words, and while Hugo found it pretty, Varian found it hurtful and aggravating how much it looked like Rapunzel’s style...

Hugo pointed up at the ceiling, and Varian saw twinkling spots of green dolloped over it. (Seeming not bright enough to light up the entire room.)

Varian said, “Despite how fascinating this place is, you know we could just turn back-“

The door slammed behind them.

Hugo nearly jumped out of his skin, and Varian squealed at the top of his lungs. They got over their momentary shock, and Hugo looked at Varian. He bit back a laugh at the squeal and turned to the side, accidentally letting a few snickers and giggles slip.

Varian arched an eyebrow before realizing Hugo was laughing at HIM. Varian punched him in the arm, ears burning.

“Shut up!”

Varian huffed and walked away, hearing Hugo burst fully into laughter behind him. Varian turned on his heel to glare at Hugo, who was clutching his sides from laughing.

“It wasn’t that funny!”

Hugo wiped a tear. “Yes, it was! You sounded like a-“

He burst into another fit of laughter before Varian hit him with the stick. Hugo let a small, “Ow!” but continued to chuckle a little.

Varian waved his hand and said, face still red, “Let’s go.”

Hugo and Varian trekked through the corridor, looking around. A minute into walking, Hugo spoke up.

“Why would a squirrel lead us to a random corner of the woods? Or wherever we are?”

“I don’t know, that squirrel just hasn’t stopped following me.”

“I knew you knew that squirrel!”

Hugo heard a ka-chink under his feet.

The ground collapsed, and Varian felt another bout of deja vu, but this time he was actually falling.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol


	7. Lies - Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and Hugo have no idea where they are, and neither does Random Lady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out it doesn't throw off my flow >:>  
> I would like to apologize for the absolute balderdash that is this chapter.  
> Warnings: Injury and Light Pain

“-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

A loud thud sounded.

That thud was Hugo, Varian, and the pets hitting the floor of the corridor. Hugo landed on his back, and Varian landed on his side, now sending pain through his other arm. (Both arms are getting their turn of pain, what fun!)

Hugo turned off his back, agony all through his body, the wind knocked out of him and squinted. Cheese scampered close with Hugo’s glasses and dropped them near him. Hugo picked them up, noticing they were broken. But he didn’t care; he was mainly happy that Cheese was OK. He picked his little friend and called out for Varian.

Varian held his arm and let out a hiss. The vials had broken, and the two were stuck in pitch black. Varian called out, “I’m OVER HERE!”

He then drew his attention to- WHERE WAS RUDDIGER?!

“RUDDIGER!”

Hugo’s face went cold, and he glanced around for the raccoon despite the darkness. Varian heard scurrying, and a fuzzy paw brush against his arm. He quickly picked up Ruddiger and hugged him, ignoring the pain in his arm for a moment. He warily tried to stand, and Ruddiger moved onto his shoulder. Standing, he noticed his bag was empty. He moved his attention onto something else. “HUGO!”

Hugo stumbled over to where Varian’s voice came from and felt the air around him. He found Varian’s sleeve and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you OK?”

No, he wasn’t. Varian fibbed, sore and wounded, “Yup...”

He adjusted his eyes easily to the darkness; prison got pitch dark quickly, especially his own cell. He shook his head, not wanting to think about that. He looked at Hugo and linked arms with him. “Alright, let’s not lose each other.”

Varian grabbed Hugo’s sleeve, and they looked up into the black abyss.

“I don’t think we should be climbing anytime soon...”

They turned to their left and exchanged a worried look. Hugo gulped, but the two headed that way.

Varian, trying to keep away the quiet asked, “So, what do you think this place used to be?”

“Maybe an art gallery?”

“Why would an art gallery have TRAP DOORS?”

“Hey, this might’ve been their best attempt at security! Don’t judge them, and their-“ Hugo let out a groan of misery from the pain of landing on his back. “Their poor, poor security decisions.”

Varian let out a tiny laugh.

“Why were we led down here in the first place?”

“I- I don’t know. Knowing that squirrel-“

Varian cut himself off. Never mind, he didn’t want to talk about the squirrel either. Hugo furrowed his brow at the sudden sentence stop but didn’t think much of it.

They walked in silence, (other than Hugo’s worrisome, ‘I think there’s a spider on me,’) for what felt like hours when really, it had been 30 minutes. (Darkness makes time slower.)

The corridor didn’t seem to end until they saw a sliver of light. They turned to each other and grinned. They sprinted over to it before another _ka-chink _sounded. “VARIAN!”__

__Hugo yanked Varian back immediately, and a pendulum could be heard swinging by, the wind of it brushing past them. Varian panted, eyes dilated, and clutched Hugo’s arm. Hugo looked at him. “Are- Are you OK?”__

____

__“Even Herz Der Sonne’s tunnels didn’t have THAT,” Varian mumbled to himself. Hugo frowned, recognizing the name ‘Herz Der Sonne.’ He was that old Corona king that the orphanage forced him to learn about, along with a bunch of other stuffy, old kings._ _

“ ‘Herz Der Sonne’s _tunnels?’ _What do you-“__

Varian immediately clamped a hand over his mouth and looked to the side, now appearing more freaked out than last. Hugo wanted to ask again, but, like a stroke of plot convenience, a second pendulum swung down, interrupting them. Varian let out a sharp scream of surprise. Hugo instinctively pulled out a knife and sliced above the air, hearing the clank of the sharp metal.

Varian and Hugo tried to calm themselves from that rush of adrenaline and walked up to the light. They peered through the small crack in the ceiling, and Hugo said, “Give me a boost!”

Varian scoffed. “That makes no sense, you give me a boost!”

“Why?!”

Varian looked at the foot height difference between the two.

“Call it a HUNCH.”

Hugo rolled his eyes and lifted the shorter boy onto his shoulder like those weird things cheerleaders do. “Wow, you are _light.” _ ____

Varian rolled his eyes and knocked against the ceiling. It crumbled in itself, causing dust to go everywhere. Varian coughed and looked upward. They appeared to be in a vine enclosure?

That was odd.

Varian clamored into the room, praying this part of the floor wouldn’t collapse too. Luckily, it didn’t, but his arm felt a little more pulled, so there’s a con. He rolled onto the floor and panted.

Varian turned off his side and reached out for Hugo. Hugo took his hand, and Varian tried to pull him up, just putting more pressure on his arms. Hugo landed on the floor of the vine enclosure and coughed.

“God, I hate this place.”

Varian nodded in agreement. He was sick of wherever this was too. He rolled his arms in pain and muttered a curse.

Hugo perked up. “Woah, you cursed! Good job!”

He noticed Hugo’s sarcasm and pursed his lips, giving a glower while Hugo gave him a snide grin.

He stood up, holding his elbows, and Hugo did the same. (Minus the elbow thing.) They avoided the hole and walked down the new corridor, filled with more vines. Luckily, it had no ceiling. This probably meant you should climb it or something, (it didn’t,) but considering the condition both of them were in... Yeah, neither of them felt like climbing anymore. They trudged down the hallway, finding it harder and harder to take step after step. They finally looked down to see vines wrapping around their ankles.

“WHAT THE-“

They were swept into the air. Hugo banged his head against the wall, again, and grabbed his head. “Ow...”

Hugo let a few curses loose while Varian tried to cut himself free. Ruddiger had tried to nibble at the vines. to no avail as did Cheese.

“I’ve seen these vines before...”

Hugo and Varian looked around for the source of the voice.

“Up here.”

They saw a tall woman with white hair and red face paint sitting atop the corridor. Hugo thought she was pretty. (Vaguely.) She examined her blade and said, “They’re a subspecies of a vine I saw in a forest. They’ll get wrap around you the more you fight it. You have to destress. To let go.”

Varian took a deep breath and looked down. That was a bad idea. The scene flickered between the day when he was held over the airship. He was so far from the ground. He tensed, and the vines began to bind him more. Varian shouted, “N-no! It’s fine! I can get out easily! I’ll cut my way out!”

Since he didn’t have a knife, he just tried to rip the vines. He couldn’t let himself fall, no, no-

“You can’t fight it, Blue Stripe! You need to-“

“No! I- I know what I’m doing!”

Varian struggled, and the vines wrapped around his arms. He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Hair-stripe!” Hugo called.

Don’t look, don’t-

The vines encased him fully.

<•>

“Blue Stripe! Blue-Stripe, can you hear me!”

Varian opened his eyes and tried to adjust his eyes to the dark room. He found himself no longer in the vine room, but now some random room with paintings of trees, bushes, and general forest area. Hugo stood in the back while the random lady shook him. She realized he was awake and backed away, relaxed.

Ruddiger nuzzled his arm, and Varian smiled. Hugo let out a sigh of relief. “Hair-stripe, are you alright?”

Varian nodded his head. He found himself surrounded by vine shreds. (Heh.) He remembered what happened and looked to the side. “I should’ve listened.”

“You should’ve,” said the tall woman.

Hugo glared back at her. “What’s your name, anyway, lady? Why are you here? You could’ve cut him loose at any time!”

“Well, first of all, my name is Adira. Second of all, I found you both here as I was exploring this place myself. I didn’t cut you loose until your friend _trapped himself _because I trusted that either of you could free yourselves.” ____

She slid her sword into its hilt and shrugged.

“Clearly I was wrong.”

Varian and Hugo both took offense to this, but before they could utter a word, Adira asked, “So, what are your names?”

Varian smirked and motioned to Hugo. “I’m Cassius, and this is _Viper.” _ ____

Hugo groaned but went along with it because this woman almost let Varian die, and let’s just say no matter how pretty she was, he did not trust her right then...

“We should get going. This room is suspicious.”

“Just like you,” Hugo grumbled.

They got up and followed Adira out the door and into the hallway.

Adira found a torch and turned around to face them.

“Shifty Eyes, do you have a match?”

Hugo wrinkled his nose at the nickname and folded his arms. “No..”

Her focus turned to the wall.

“Hm.”

She rubbed it and found something on her fingers.

“Powder.”

She sprinkled it onto the torch, and it erupted into flames. (The cloth part of the torch, not the entire thing.)

Hugo touched the wall and noticed the ENTIRE WALL was covered in it. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, (this did nothing because his glasses were gone,) before noticing the other two were all the way across the hall.

“HEY, WAIT UP-“

He sprinted over to them.

“You have to keep up, Shifty Eyes.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They walked down the long, winding corridor, to find a room filled with mirrors, another filled with more paintings plus a canvas, and another with just a bed.

Adira motioned to follow her into the mirrors.

(Look, the one with the bed was too minimalistic NOT to be suspicious.)

This room seemed to wind up and out, and Hugo groaned at the prospect of using STAIRS. His feet were killing him. He leaned against a mirror, and it began to glow.

“Hugo!”

Hugo arched an eyebrow before hearing a voice from behind him.

_“Is it working?” _ ____

Hugo let out a shriek the same amount as ear-piercing as Varian’s and whipped around.

A scene of a room just like this one played out, only there were people, and the room didn’t look so downtrodden. A woman with jet black, curly hair stood in the back, while another stood staring at the mirror in determination. He had a metal plate where his left eye should’ve been, (or maybe it was his right, Hugo was never good with that sort of thing,) and wore a huge cloak.

Varian narrowed his eyes behind Hugo. He’d seen that guy before... and the woman too.

_”My God, it’s working...” _ ____

The man laughed in glee as he stared at the mirror in front of him. Varian and Hugo exchanged a glance.

_”Gothel, it’s working!” _ ____

Varian gasped. He- He KNEW her name; she was Raps- she was THE PRINCESS'S kidnapper. The reason the kingdom spent 18 years cast into a depression.

The woman- GOTHEL groaned and flipped her hair. _“Thank GOODNESS, I thought you’d NEVER be done with it.” _ ____

She pushed the man away and examined herself in the mirror.

_”Ugh, I can’t believe this took forever... It took so long I’ve gotten wrinkles!” _ ____

Varian’s nose scrunched up, despite how angry he was at Rapunzel and how she drove him out here in the first place, he couldn’t imagine what being RAISED by the woman was like.

_”Now Gothel, we must remember that we’re not using these to look at ourselves, we’re using these for note-taking. For recording our studies.” _ ____

Gothel looked back at the man and scoffed. _“Oh please, Demanitus. Honestly, you make a mirror and expect me not to use it for myself?” _ ____

She rolled her eyes and left, then the mirror went out. Varian stumbled backward out of shock and tripped on a pebble. Hugo caught him.

Varian joked, possibly out of his mind, “Hah, you screamed like a girl.”

Hugo dropped him.

Varian held his head. “Was- Was that really Demanitus-“

He should’ve known.

Hugo brushed the hair out of his face, pacing around the small room. “I- I don’t know. I mean, no other guy has a metal plate on his eye and is named DEMANITUS.”

Hugo let out a strained laugh.

“I’m seen magic before but this....” Varian would’ve said, ‘I need to sit down,’ but he was already sitting.

Hugo leaned against a wall to gather his thoughts, only to lean against another mirror.

He let out another high-pitched scream as he heard Demanitus say, _”Experiment 26.” _ ____

Varian sardonically grinned at him from the floor, and Hugo glared at him.

“Shut up.”

_”As you know, our last experiment didn’t go quite as planned...” _ ____

Hugo and Varian watched him explain the Experiment 26 while Adira just watched the chaos unfold, sipping her tea.

(Where’d she get tea?- She’s Adira, next question.)

Demanitus straightened the mirror.

_”Hopefully, the recreation of the Sundrop flower will-“ _ ____

A scream could be heard off-mirror.

_”TROMUSSSSSSSSSS-” _ ____

Demanitus sighed, and the mirror, again, went out.

Varian certainly didn’t recognize the name, ‘Tromus,’ or the elderly woman’s voice.

Adira put away her teacup in a way only animated characters can accomplish and motioned to the stairway.

“If you two are finished dawdling, I suggest we be on our way.”

She took the torch and climbed up the stairs. Since the torch was their only light source, they were forced, (heh, rhyme,) to follow her.

Hugo groaned. He traced his finger along the wall and heard a _ka-chink. _ ____

“HUGO!”

Varian yanked him away as the stairs behind them all collapsed. Now they were DEFINITELY forced to move forward.

They reached the top and peered down, feeling queasy. Except for Adira.

She looked down at the abyss, they couldn’t even see the floor which definitely added to the boy’s unease, and shrugged. “Come on. Onto the next room.”

<•>

The three found themselves journeying through multiple rooms for what felt like hours, and it was. But it just made their feet tired, except for Adira.

Remember how Varian ran away JUST yesterday? Remember how that was less than 24 hours ago?

Hugo couldn’t see much other than blurs, but Cheese kept him comfort. Ruddiger kept Varian comfort too.

Soon, as they had gotten too tired to walk, they saw the light. They looked between each other and walked up to it.

Hugo tried to push open the door, but it slid open fast, slamming Hugo onto the ground. Hugo screamed out a curse, halfway in pain, other half in hatred of this place. Adira helped him up but not without scolding him.

“Language, Shifty Eyes.”

Hugo growled but bit back a few choice words.

They scanned the area, knowing something was up. They were right, and another _ka-chink _was heard. But this was more a _KA-THUNK. _ _ _______

They whipped around and saw a huge stone monster. It was bigger than the one Varian built himself.

“RUN!” Adira cried.

They screamed and scrammed.

Unfortunately for Varian, the monster followed HIM. Oh God, was this what battling his automatons was like?

His feet were killing him, and he felt like his lungs were about to give in, but it was run or die.

He rounded a corner and heard shouting behind him. Hugo latched himself on the thing like a madman and tried to STAB AT IT. Varian chuckled.

Varian stopped laughing when it shook Hugo off, and he slammed against a tree.

“HUGO!”

Varian ran over to him, and Hugo coughed. Varian would’ve checked to see if he was alright, but the monster smacked him and was sent sprawling.

Adira finally found them and hopped onto the monster, shoving her sword into the gap of its neck. (It’s a rock monster, calm yourself.)

It powered down, and Adira exhaled in relief.

Varian held his sides and groaned. Hugo has sent himself into a coughing fit. She sighed, assuming she’d have to take these two to a hospital.

<•>

Varian looked around the hospital, dazed. He scanned the sling on his arm and felt bandages around his stomach. Hugo was next to him, groaning and rolling around. Varian assumed he hadn’t woken up yet.

Adira put down her tea. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she said. She stood up and headed for the door.

“Wait, where are you-“

“I stayed here to make sure you were alright. You’ve woken up, so I assume you’re fine. I’ve set you up at an inn in town, the stay’s about a week.”

Varian glanced at the key and then at her.

“Oh and one more thing.” She narrowed her eyes at Varian. “Your father’s looking for you, _Cassius.” _ ____

Varian’s eyes widened, and she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT  
> (The name-credit 'Shifty Eyes' goes to Newsies-of-Corona!)


	8. Lies - Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian and Hugo head to the market.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A normal chapter that I don't regret  
> And so will be the next one
> 
> Warnings: Depiction of a Panic Attack

Hugo soon awoke after Varian. He rubbed his eye and looked around before realizing that was useless anyway because, again, glasses.

Hugo turned around to see Hair-stripe on the bed across from him, staring at a wall in deep thought. He decided not to bother the younger alchemist and let him sort out whatever was on his mind. He scanned around the room, looking for his metallic little mouse friend.

Silently, he prayed Cheese was alright until he heard whirring beside him. He smiled and picked up Cheese. The little mouse whirred in happiness and rolled up Hugo’s arm. Hugo chuckled tiredly.

“Some of your wires and plates are loose, aren’t they?”

The mouse whirred angrily, and Hugo sighed. “We'll fix you right up when we get home.”

He turned to Varian and, after a few moments, decided to interrupt his wall staring contest.

“Varian!”

Varian blinked and shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. Not appearing fully in tune with existence, he turned to Hugo and said, “Nice to see you alive.”

He tilted his head and responded oddly, “Nice to see you too alive, Hair-Stripe.”

Varian gripped the blanket of the hospital bed and stared at the door. Hugo would’ve gotten up, but he felt a sharp pain around the area of his stomach. “AGH!”

Varian immediately turned and looked at him in concern. Hugo pressed his stomach and noticed the bandages. He hissed in pain, and Varian reached out a hand. “Hugo, are you-“

Hugo nodded, very much lying. “I’m good.”

A few hours past; a nurse came back, patched them up a little better, and sent them on their way. Varian spun the keys around his finger calmly and looked at Hugo. Hugo looked back at him tiredly- And ran into a wall.

Varian jumped. Hugo backed away and rubbed his nose. “Oww...”

“OK, we really need to get you some new glasses.”

“Yeah. Hopefully, the eye doctor here is cheap.”

“Probably not.”

“Yeah, probably not.”

Hugo and Varian grabbed their stuff and headed out to wherever their newest stay was.

<•>

A few weeks had passed, Hugo and Varian’s panned out like ‘normal.’ Hugo, under convince of Cheese, decided to stay in town for the next few weeks. Totally Cheese and not his own decision. He still stole and stuff, but he stayed by Varian’s side.

1) Because Varian somehow attracted the crazy and the utterly bizarre to himself.

2) It’s not every day you meet a fellow alchemist.

And 3) Because he somewhat trusted him (and Hugo worried for his safety after he nearly set his hair on fire last week.)

They had gone to the market today, and Hugo was sucking up to random people on the street. He kissed ladies on the hand, flirted with everyone left and right while Cheese stole their stuff from behind their back.

Sometimes he got slapped, and sometimes he didn’t. Varian winced at the slaps; he didn’t get romance. He knew Hugo didn’t mean it but still. He didn’t get why people swooned over a few “flirtatious” words and a kiss on the hand.

Sure, people could consider Hugo, “pretty,” he certainly didn’t, but why would let yourself get robbed over a wink and smile?

That’s what he liked about The Tales of Flynnigan Rider. Flynn rarely got involved with romance. He was too busy fighting pirates. He needed to reread those books, man.

Varian picked at his coat’s loose thread nonchalantly as he waited for Hugo to finish schmoozing it up with these people. He liked his new outfit. The last thing he wore was bought by Rapunzel, and it was a “please-don’t-overthrow-the-kingdom” gift... He sighed and decided to think a little more positively. He was rid of Corona, and he had the get-up to prove it.

It was a big, black coat, a dark shirt, and black pants to match. He would probably have to change the colors when summer rolled around, but that was fine with him. He’d also bought fingerless gloves, inspired by Hugo’s because he could. Unsurprisingly, that was the only part of the outfit Hugo actively encouraged.

I mean, SURE, they kind of defeated the whole purpose of alchemy and gloves in the first place, but they looked cool and felt cool. Like he was breaking a rule by wearing them. (Hugo’s influencing him, oh God.)

He’d told Hugo they could be, “Glove Buddies,” and Hugo smacked him upside the head. That was funny. Varian thought about his outfit from when he was 14, and his smile faded. Despite the few-week gap, Adira’s words slightly rang in his head. It had been weeks and still no sign of his dad or Adira for that matter.

He hoped his dad was OK; Adira gave no context, could he even trust her?

Before he could get out another thought, Hugo shuffled over, mumbling angrily and holding his cheek even though both of them were equally red. Varian looked half-amused, half-worried. Hugo asked Cheese with a slight grin, “How much’d we score?”

The mouse’s eyes flashed into numbers, and Hugo’s grin grew bigger. “Great!”

Varian arched an eyebrow and asked, “Since when could he do that?”

“I upgrade him! But he’s been able to do that for years- Anyway, let’s get some food!”

Varian clicked his tongue, knowing they were gonna steal most of it. They headed into the market, and Hugo sped off to steal- I mean, buy some food.

Varian sighed, feeling bad he’d left Ruddiger at the inn. They’d be in and out, Hugo said. Well, it had been 20 minutes since they left, and it certainly didn’t feel in and out.

Varian decided to roam around the market while waiting for Hugo and-

Cassandra picked up a bag of oats and looked at the price.

Varian felt his breath escape him, and everything felt cold and terrifying.

Cassan- Cassi-

Why was she here, she shouldn’t be here, please don’t-

He spotted the sword in her hand and the alchemy balls around her sash; his mind began to spiral. The most irrational voices in his head screamed at him. She was here to-

His vision tunneled, and his breath came to a halt. He ran out of the market as fast as he could. He felt his hands trembling, and the outside world went blurry. _No, no, no, no... _ ____

_He paid his price, he paid the price... No, he hadn’t. _ ____

He let out a curse and squeezed his eyes shut. Everything blurred. He felt himself sink into the floor.

“Why is she back she shouldn’t be here why is she here she’s supposed to be back in Corona no no no no...”

His thoughts focused on her sword. _‘Rapunzel sent her after me to...’_ He let out a shaky breath. _‘Why can’t I just get away.’_

Varian coughed, his breath shortening as he sobbed. _’I just wanted to get away...’ _ ____

He tugged at his hair, his head wanting to cave in on itself. Rational thought was gone. He held his neck, rapid breathing being the only thing he could hear.

While his thoughts ran, his fingerless gloves began to feel more obnoxious. He threw them to the ground angrily and let out a sob of anger, feeling more agitated now that he wasn’t wearing gloves. They became as much of a blur as everything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops  
> (I would like to apologize for my poor description)


	9. Lies - Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sickening feeling comes along with meeting old 'friends.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter... took two weeks to write. OI VEY. HAHAHA- ugh. I am so sorry. For both the quality and the wait.  
> Warnings: Depictions of a panic attack

Hugo called out, “HAIR-STRIPE! Hair-stripe! I have the goods, let’s-“

He heard terrified, quiet sobs, and mumbling from behind a wall, and his face went cold. He raced over.

He skidded to a stop, unconsciously dropped the groceries at seeing Varian so broken down. Varian looked up at Hugo and scooted away, murmuring, “She’s going to.. She’s going to...”

Hugo crouched down, but Varian slunk away more.

“Who’s going to what?”

Varian hiccuped and mumbled, “Hugo, go away... Please.”

Hugo wavered and asked, “Varian, please what’s-“

“Go _away _!”__

__Varian glared at him, tears streaming down his face, and Hugo stumbled away. He mumbled, “Just leave, Hugo...”_ _

__Hugo bit his lip and leaned against the wall, not fully knowing what to do. Cheese crawled up onto Varian’s shoulder and nuzzled him sadly. Varian tensed but smiled tiredly._ _

__The boy hugged his arms, and his rapid breathing kicked back in. Hugo sat up in worry and immediately tried his best to gently calm Varian down despite how brash the blonde was used to being._ _

__Varian let out a wobbly breath and tried to follow Hugo’s advice. _‘One, two, in and out. One, two, in and out.’ _____

___He paused and leaned off the wall._ _ _

___“Varian, what happened..?”_ _ _

___Varian covered his ears and shudders. Hugo could hear his whispers of, “I didn’t want to do it.. No, no, they sent her after me.”_ _ _

___Varian still hadn’t fully cooled down, and Hugo looked at him sadly as the younger boy tugged at his hair. “I’ll give you a minute... I’m gonna leave Cheese to comfort you.”_ _ _

___Hugo got up with a silent sigh and looked at Varian with worry in his eyes before leaving._ _ _

___ <•>_ _ _

___Hugo felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. Varian stood with his head held low and muttered, “Let’s- Let’s head back to the hotel...”_ _ _

___Cheese crawled up onto Hugo sadly. He looked at the younger boy sadly. He wouldn’t press Varian about this whole thing. He was worried about what happened, of course, but pushing a kid who was just in a panic wouldn’t do him any good._ _ _

___Varian and Hugo walked back to the hotel in silence, Varian tense and out of the corner of his eye in shame and Hugo very concerned but saying nothing._ _ _

___They turned a corner, and a set of voices caught Varian off; he looked up and immediately yanked Hugo back around the corner, a look of horror strewn across his face._ _ _

___“Hair-stripe? What-“_ _ _

___He looked at Hugo and the desperation in his eyes shut Hugo up quickly. “Hugo, let- let’s go the other way...”_ _ _

___Hugo frowned but nodded quickly, and they turned a different corner. Hugo’s caught a glimpse of the two that stood on the previous street. Were they the reason Varian was so freaked out? I mean, they looked semi-intimidating, but enough to change paths and scare Varian?_ _ _

___After 15 minutes, Varian knew the inn was within the next few blocks and felt the smallest bit of relief in his chest. They were almost in the clear._ _ _

___The two turned the final bend and... There she was. Again._ _ _

___He nearly fell and lost his breath for a moment._ _ _

___Varian stepped back with a wobble, and Hugo laid a hand on his shoulder. “Hair-stripe..?”_ _ _

___Cassandra and the guard perked up at Hugo’s voice; Cass’s eyes widened in outrage. Taking a moment, she stared in silence before growling, _“Varian.” _____ _

___He felt a chill go up to his spine when he heard his name; he was frozen in place._ _ _

___Hugo asked in confusion, “Varian, do you know her..?”_ _ _

___The guard inquired, gripping their weapon, “Is that the kid?”_ _ _

___Cassandra nodded and took a ball of something off her belt. “I don’t wanna hurt you, Varian, but I will if I have to.”_ _ _

___Varian tried to stand up straight, pretending he wasn’t phased at seeing her. Despite his hope to speak confidently, his voice came out small and hurt._ _ _

___“Cass, please, I’m not here to hurt anyone...”_ _ _

___Hugo stared between the two, confused about why anyone would think Varian would be here to harm someone._ _ _

___Cass glowered. “I don’t think so... How can I trust your word?”_ _ _

___Varian fiddled with his new gloves, still slightly uncomfortable from them. (And they were now dirty from being on the market floor, so that didn’t help.)_ _ _

___“I- I just wanted to get away, Cass, I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore...”_ _ _

___Varian’s anxiety was at an all-time high. Every part of him wanted to just turn on his heel and run, but his feet felt melted into the stone beneath him. A small part of him especially wanted to make sure Hugo didn’t hear any of this. The idea of his only friend other than finding out his past in a way like this made him feel sick..._ _ _

___Granted, Hugo was already sick enough of this._ _ _

___The guard held an aggressive stance with their sword’s hilt in hand, clearly trying to tell Hugo and Varian not to ‘try’ anything. Hugo’s expression soured. Look, being a thief, he got accused often. But he had no clue who she was, he didn’t like the out-of-nowhere accusations she was giving Varian, and the other one was threatening them with a _sword. _____ _

___Varian began to try to speak up again, but Hugo cut him off like an idiot._ _ _

___“Who are you anyway? And what right do you have to threaten him or me?”_ _ _

___Varian held up his hands, a sharpness to his voice. “Hugo, it’s fine-“_ _ _

____Cass _then cut him off.___ _ _

___“Who are _you? _”___ _ _

___“I asked first, and I’m not the one accusing people on the street, am I?”_ _ _

___Cass stopped and huffed in accord. “Fine, I guess I did immediately threaten you out of nowhere. But I wouldn’t say I jumped to conclusions...”_ _ _

___She pulled out her sword and pointed Varian’s way with a dirty look._ _ _

___“Because if you knew you wouldn’t be around _him _.”___ _ _

___Varian stepped back, slightly shrinking at the point of Cass’s sword and her words, but Hugo let out a little laugh and slowly nudged the sword down._ _ _

___He snorted sarcastically and said, “OK, heh, maybe there are things Varian keeps private- But he has a right not to tell his entire backstory to me. Do you have a right to point a sword in his face and say he’s untrustworthy?” He snidely grinned. “I don’t think so.”_ _ _

___Cass and her comrade shared a look before they glared at Hugo._ _ _

___“And... You didn’t answer my question.”_ _ _

___He shrugged, circling them. Varian just stood in utter bewilderment. Cass slid her sword back into its sheath and so did the Royal Guard._ _ _

___“I’m Cassandra. And you are?”_ _ _

___“Hugo. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but I don’t like to lie.”_ _ _

___If looks could kill, the one Cass was giving Hugo was murderous, and Varian laid a hand on Hugo’s arm._ _ _

___“Yeah, ha- Um, Hugo, you’ve said your piece, let’s go-“_ _ _

___Cass cut Varian off for the second time, (which honestly, just let the boy finish his sentences.)_ _ _

___“Yeah, I’d leave if I were you, Hugo.”_ _ _

___Varian sourly glared at her out of the corner of his eye, and Hugo pursed his lips in disgust. His expression soon turned to a grin, but he quickly turned the other way. Cass arched an eyebrow in confusion before she saw a mouse appear on Hugo’s shoulder, her bag of coins in its mouth._ _ _

___She yelled, “THIEF!”_ _ _

___Hugo tensed, and Varian turned back to him. He looked at Hugo, and he saw the drawstring bag in Cheese‘s mouth. He stepped back, his eyes widened. The idiot!_ _ _

___“Hugo...” Varian growled through gritted teeth._ _ _

___Hugo shrugged as if he did nothing wrong, “Whaaaaaat? Honestly, she needs to-“_ _ _

___They heard the _shing _of a sword and turned back to the other two quickly. The guard and Cass pointed their swords Hugo’s direction. (These two just really like their swords, don’t they?)___ _ _

___Hugo laughed nervously and said, “OK, is a small bag of money really worth that much-“_ _ _

___Cass narrowed her eyes at him, and Hugo took that as a sign to shut up. “We’re getting real tired of your games, kid.”_ _ _

___She stopped to shrug at Varian._ _ _

___“You know, Varian, I’m not surprised you’re hanging around criminals, _again. _”___ _ _

___Varian held his arms tensely and looked out the corner of his eye. All he could want now is to get back to the inn. Sighing, he muttered, “Hugo, give her back the money...”_ _ _

___Hugo looked at Varian and exhaled in defeat._ _ _

___“Fine.”_ _ _

___Cheese dropped the bag of coins out of his mouth, and Hugo caught it and tossed it to Cassandra. She caught it and put it away, not satisfied just yet._ _ _

___“And?”_ _ _

___Hugo and Varian exchanged a glance._ _ _

___“And what?”_ _ _

___“I know that mouse stole something else...”_ _ _

___Varian turned to Cheese. Cheese whirred as if he were nervously laughing and pulled another drawstring bag out of Hugo’s pocket, this one see-through. Hugo had no clue how he didn’t notice and frankly, he was offended._ _ _

___Varian felt his face go cold as he recognized what the bag held. Cass took it back and said bitingly, “You left a few things at the castle.”_ _ _

___Hugo scowled as the other two left, despite the confusion that he also felt. He scornfully grabbed an apple from his grocery bag and ate it, thinking it an odd coincidence that them and that Cassandra lady both came from the market._ _ _

___Varian tiredly walked up the stairs to their room of the inn, and Hugo unlocked the door. He pushed open the door, and Ruddiger hopped into Varian’s arms._ _ _

___Varian smiled and pet the raccoon sleepily. “Hey, buddy...”_ _ _

___Hugo let out a, “Heh,” and Varian set down Ruddiger and slumped onto the bed. Hugo sat against the bed and looked at him._ _ _

___Varian sighed and laughed a little. “Sorry about earlier..”_ _ _

___“Which earlier? Because believe me, there are a lot of 'earliers' in this situation-“_ _ _

___Varian chuckled before looking down, shamefully. “Earlier- As in at the market...”_ _ _

___Hugo sat up and shook his head._ _ _

___“Hairstripe, don’t apologize for that. Or things like that in general. You’re not a ‘burden’ for being upset. You’re a burden when you talk my ear off though about alchemy though-“_ _ _

___Varian chuckled tiredly and punched him in the arm. “Very funny.”_ _ _

___They laughed a little before Varian started picking at his gloves again. “Still though, I’m sorry.”_ _ _

___“Agh, darn you, Varian, what did I just say?”_ _ _

___Varian laughed a little before Hugo spoke up again, “OK, but the lady with the sword was she part of the breakdown..?”_ _ _

___Varian nodded and sighed. He said with a yawn, “I’ll explain... A lot of things. When I wake up- because that experience drained me more than anything, and I need to sleep before I pass out.”_ _ _

___Varian hopped on the bed and quickly fell asleep, and Ruddiger curled up next to him._ _ _

___Hugo smiled tiredly before sharing a worried glance with Cheese._ _ _

___ <•>_ _ _

___Varian sighed and wiped sleep from his eye as he sat up from the bed. He glanced at Hugo and remembered the reality of the situation. He felt a pang of guilt in himself. Well, it was nice to have Hugo as a friend while it lasted. Time to tell Hugo the worst things he’s ever done and hope... There wasn’t much to hope for, was there?_ _ _

___Varian balled up the bedsheets in his fists before letting go and standing up. This was gonna be hard to do..._ _ _

___“Hey, Hugo, why don’t we go talk outside?”_ _ _

___Hugo let out a little, “heh,” before shrugging. “Hope you don’t plan on murdering me.”_ _ _

___Varian gave a strained smile at the response. Oh boy..._ _ _

___Varian and Hugo walked outside, and Varian felt his hair fall in front of his face. “So.. Heh, let’s walk a little further, the forest looks nice!”_ _ _

___He was trying to procrastinate but... He was very, very bad at it. He thought he was prepared to tell the truth, but maybe he could hold off a little longer._ _ _

___Hugo looked at him, confused, but went along with it from the stressed expression on Varian’s face. They headed out into the forest, and it was actually peaceful. The crickets were chirping, and the mosquitoes were only mildly annoying._ _ _

___Varian sighed and sat down near a pond, and Hugo did the same. Hugo looked in the pond at his reflection, and for once, didn’t just sit there and use it as a mirror. “I made things worse back there, didn’t I? Outside the inn?”_ _ _

___Varian sighed and stared at the water, spinning a stick in it to create ripples. He responded, “Your heart- it was in the right place, but- Yeah. You kinda did. Especially with you and Cheese trying to _steal, _I honestly have no idea why you would to that and-“___ _ _

___Varian sighed and set down the stick. Hugo muttered, “Sorry...”_ _ _

___“It’s alright, you were only trying to stick up for-“_ _ _

___Hugo let out a tiny laugh and murmured to himself, “ ‘Stick’ up for me..”_ _ _

___Varian rolled his eyes, and Hugo chuckled._ _ _

___“But speaking of earlier...”_ _ _

___Varian still had to tell Hugo (what would ultimately break their friendship.) He sighed and leaned against a tree. “Alright, I have no idea how to say this but...”_ _ _

___He looked at Hugo and gulped. In a small voice, he recounted the past few years to Hugo. “So, I’m a runaway, heh... All the things Cassandra said about me, yeah, they- They were true..”_ _ _

___He could see the shock and dread in Hugo’s face as he went on, and he shut his eyes to keep them from watering. He didn’t give the full story, but he was pretty sure Hugo got the main gist._ _ _

___“And then I found out... No, they weren’t my friends. I don’t know what I expected. But left with no one who cared, and since I just went back to making things worse for my dad, I left. And then I spent my day out of Corona and-“_ _ _

___Varian sighed and looked at Hugo out of the corner of his eye. “..And that’s that.”_ _ _

___Hugo inhales, trying to take in all the information, but all that he said was, “Oh- Oh... That’s why you couldn’t set up a tent.”_ _ _

___“Yeah, I guess, haha... I- I get it if you hate me.”_ _ _

___They sat in silence before Hugo broke it, “Varian, I-“_ _ _

___They heard a twig snap and looked around immediately. Ruddiger was on Varian’s shoulders, and Cheese was in Hugo’s pocket. So who-_ _ _

___A voice spoke up, and Varian’s blood went cold._ _ _

___“Hello, traitor.”_ _ _

___Hugo scooted away in front of Varian, terrified._ _ _

___“Ha- Hairstripe...”_ _ _

___The world went black as Andrew and his crew knocked them out._ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh


	10. Lies - Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew is sadistic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Does Andrew himself count as a warning? Also, slight blood  
> it took me nearly three weeks to get out this mediocrity

Varian woke up, his hands tied to a chair. He appeared to be in a very dimly lit, possibly abandoned, warehouse of some sort with only one lantern swinging above his head. Hugo sat across him, still out cold. He shouted out, “HUGO!”

The word, “Hugo,” echoed through the warehouse, and laughter echoed back at him. Varian looked around in a panic before seeing Andrew in the shadows. The man stepped out with a grin.

“Rise and shine, Varian.”

Varian blinked.

“...W-Were you just standing there? In the dark? _Why _?”__

Andrew folded his arms heatedly and rolled his eyes. “It was for dramatic effect, _Varian _.”__

Varian arched an eyebrow and darted his eyes around confusedly. “So... You were just- waiting for me to wake up? How long had you been standing there?”

“Long enough. Besides, I-“ Andrew caught himself and muttered some choice words as he held his head and chuckled. The kid sent him off track, heh. “Wow, kid, just as mouthy as I remember... Knew I should’ve gagged you. Too late, I guess.”

Varian glared at him before tugging at the ropes.

“Good luck with those,” Andrew grinned. “I made sure that your little ‘ _alchemical solutions, _’ wouldn’t be able to do anything to them..”__

Varian growled at the mocking of his alchemy.

Andrew and Varian heard a groan behind them.

“Oh good, your friend’s awaken too!”

Andrew walked past Varian with a cruel smirk. The small boy tried to turn around, but Andrew’s bindings proved too tight, and the chair was unbudgeable. He could distantly hear the conversation.

“Ah, my old darling, Cassandra... Nice to see you again.”

Oh no... Oh, what joy it was to see Cass twice on the same day.

Varian gulped and tried to look out of his peripheral. Andrew held Cassandra’s chin in his hand with a grin. The swordswoman without a sword yanked her chin away.

“Andrew...”

He laughed and folded his arms.

“Didn’t expect to see you in Saporian territory...”

“Didn’t expect to see you at all; we threw you in jail. Like some others...”

“Well, you know Corona. They can’t keep their prisoners for the life of them.”

Varian looked to the ground and bit his lip.

Andrew continued, “Thought I’d stop by here to grab some old stuff, but I found myself, my old lady-in-waiting, instead.”

She scowled, and the man winked, (creep.) “Really, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. _Both _of you...”__

Cassandra clicked her tongue. “I can’t say I’ve missed- Wait, both?”

Varian’s eyes widened as Cassandra’s focus drifted over to him. He prayed that she couldn’t see him, but that hope was cut short as she glared back at Andrew. She seethed to the rotten man, “Really? Him?”

So much for not being seen.

Andrew shrugged cheekily.

“Oh please, Cassie, it wouldn’t be right to go _not _after him... You and I both know the brat deserves it.”__

Varian tensed and squeezed his eyes shut. Andrew walked back over to him and laid a hand on his head, making Varian wince. As much as he hated to admit it, Andrew did scare him. Andrew did a sort of faux pat of attention on Varian’s head that was all too familiar to the young alchemist, (but it felt more sarcastic than anything.)

“I mean, a redemption? I don’t think so, kid...”

Andrew seized him by the hair, and Varian yelped.

He kicked up Varian’s chair, and spun it around, stopping it in front of Cassandra. Varian’s head now DOUBLE hurt because Andrew kept his grip on his hair. Andrew shook him up a bit, and Varian wanted to grab his head in pain, but his hands were still bound.

“Look at this pathetic coward, Cassie. He’s the entire reason you‘re out here! It would be so easy to-“

“Are you damaged, Andrew?! He’s a child!”

“Oh well! I don’t know why _you _care about his safety so much if he almost _killed _you... But, I need you two for something.”____

Varian clenched his fists, both in pain and guilt, before they heard a groan behind Varian. Hugo finally woke up.

“Ah, the bait!”

The bait..?

<•>

Hugo’s eyes opened groggily to see his friend tied up, that random lady from outside the inn, and a rather ugly guy in a man bun staring up at him. He couldn’t feel Cheese anywhere on him, so he could only assume they took him. The man-bun guy walked back to Varian and spun him around again, leaving Varian looking quite dizzy and ill.

Andrew strolled over to Hugo. Hugo growled at him, trying to appear threatening, but felt a cold blade brush against the front of his neck. Hugo’s being went cold, and Andrew let out a chilling laugh. “Alright, listen here; of course, I could just kill you two now, but I need something done. Your little friend here is the price if you don’t comply.”

Andrew stepped away from Hugo still pointing the tip of the knife to Hugo’s neck.

“I need something taken.. Back in Corona.”

Varian tensed. Today just kept getting better and better. Seeing Cassie all over again, then _Andrew _finds him, going back to _CORONA _, the one place he hoped to never see again! All in one day!____

“It’s a small thing just... a jewel. Probably in the Royal Vault! I forgot it on my way out... So, you have a choice. You can go get that small, little trinket for us, or-“

Hugo gulped as Andrew retracted the knife and chuckled.

“Well, you can guess. So, what’ll it be? The job? Or his life? Either will satisfy me.”

The other Saporians surrounding him in the shadows laughed at their leader’s malice. Varian trembled, sharing a quick glance with Hugo, who was just as scared as him.

Cass would’ve spoke out again, but she noticed the horror in Varian’s eyes. Her stomach dropped. OK, maybe she hated Varian for what he did two years ago, but... Her eyes darted around, trying to think. Oh no, no, no. She needed a plan, fast! Her head shot up as she noticed Varian‘s solemn nod of compliance.

“I’ll- I’ll get the jewel...”

Varian tensed and looked Hugo in the eye, who pursed his lips with sad eyes, (which Varian took as disappointment.)

“Me too.”

Varian looked back at Cass dismally. Her head hung low, her hair falling in front of her face.

”Perfect!” Andrew shouted, a slight echo coming from it. “Now, if you-“

Rope shreds fell to the floors around Cassandra, and she lunged at Andrew. She kicked him to the ground, and his knife slid into the darkness.

Before Cass could get out a single snarky quip, Andrew laughed.

“Too bad for you, you’re surrounded.”

“Too bad for you-“

Cass took a rock off the ground and chucked it at the lantern, their only light source. The room was left in pitch-black, something annoyingly familiar to Hugo and Varian.

“I like to work in the dark.”

Cass made sure as she ran, the floor beneath her didn’t make a sound. The Saporians started dashing around the room to find her, their feet way louder and way easier to “see” where they were. Hugo struggled against his ropes until he heard a slash of a sword behind him. While it cut his ropes, it unfortunately also more than a little cut him.. He let out a groan of pain.

“Sorry, kid,” Cass whispered, and Hugo felt a dagger pressed into his hand. His hand slightly shook as he held it. Hugo jumped up, ignoring the slight blood dribbling down his sleeve and charged into the darkness.

He ran over to where Varian sat before tripping over Varian’s chair leg. “Ow!”

Varian scowled and muttered, “Really, Hugo?”

“This is no time for sass!” Hugo whisper-shouted.

Hugo cut him loose, hoping he wouldn’t accidentally hurt him.

Varian stood up and ran into the danger. He blindly fought one of the Saporians, Clementine, but he could hear a sense of triumph in her voice before he stepped into a trap. It sprung, and Varian shot up into the air. He could hear Hugo and Cass springing the trap and following after him. Varian struggled again the... blanket? Wow. Their trap was a blanket.

“Have fun getting down! You’re over 60 feet high! The fall would-“

Andrew interrupted Clementine.

“You leave first thing at 3 AM! I wouldn’t take too long if I were you...”

The Saporians shoes clicked against the ground as they left the three in the warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ouch

**Author's Note:**

> SORRY


End file.
